Tuesday, March 03, 2015, 4:46 p.m.

Deputy director tapped to lead Department of Heritage

The deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Heritage has been named its new leader, Gov. Mike Beebe announced Friday.

Beebe said in a statement that Martha Miller will replace Cathie Matthews, who retired last year after 15 years heading the department.

Miller, a former self-employed attorney and lobbyist, served as deputy director under Matthews. She has also served on the boards of Lyon College, the Little Rock Interfaith Hospitality Network and Audubon Arkansas, Beebe's office said.

Beebe called picking Miller "an easy and sensible decision."

"Martha is a life-long Arkansan who has strong experience within the department and with state government," he said in the statement.

The Heritage department runs a number of cultural institutions in Arkansas, including the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum and the Arkansas Arts Council. According to its website, its mission "is to identify Arkansas’s heritage and enhance the quality of life by the discovery, preservation, and presentation of the state’s cultural, historic and natural resources."